Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
An American tourist in Turkey asked his Muslim guide if he’d like to believe in Jesus Christ. The tour guide seemed on the verge of faith but then he explained, You do not know what you are asking. . . . [M]y wife would leave me. My family would disown me. My boss would fire me. . . . the government would not give me an exit visa. . . . I would starve to death in my own culture.
This is why many who begin to follow Christ later fall away. It’s perfectly understandable, but a terrible mistake since the Bible doesn’t promise anything good to those who turn away. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God (Hebrews 10:26-27), says Hebrews.
And, If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them (1 Peter 2:20-21), wrote Peter.
God will forgive murder, adultery, incest and anything else for those who follow Christ. But those who turn away from him add to all their other sins the worst sin of all—rejecting the Savior of the world. There is no prize for beginning the Christian life, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Given the trouble the apostles would face, it was important for them to know that God was in control. This isn’t hard to believe when the bills are paid, the family is getting along, and everyone is healthy. But when you’re sitting in a cold dark cell, with starving rats gnawing at your feet, it can be hard to believe that God is in control.
This is why Jesus assured us that God has numbered the hairs on our head, and that even a sparrow can’t fall to the ground apart from his loving care. This is not a promise that nothing bad will ever happen, but that nothing bad will ever happen apart from our Father’s will, for his glory, and for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).
It’s helpful to understand that God governs the little things, just as much as the big things, since both are interrelated. This has been illustrated by a nail that fell out of a horse’s shoe. For lack of a nail, the shoe was lost. For lack of a shoe, the horse was lost. For lack of a horse, the rider was lost. For lack of a rider, the battle was lost. For lack of a battle, the war was lost—all for lack of a nail.
If God isn’t in control of everything, he’s not in control of anything, because everything depends on everything else. In all their hardships, the apostles could be sure they’d never lose a hair, apart from their Father’s good and perfect will.
Matthew 10:32-33 Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
Due to the gospel’s radical nature, and to opposition, it wasn’t always easy for the apostles to acknowledge Jesus publicly. Sometimes they were bold, but sometimes they were afraid, not knowing how things would turn out. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling (1 Corinthians 2:3), wrote Paul. In spite of their fear, however, they spent the rest of their lives acknowledging Jesus Christ, and calling on others to do the same. It often began with baptism.
In the early days of his ministry, Jesus preached while his disciples baptized (John 4:1-2). As long people stayed out of the water, they were merely being entertained. But whenever a person stepped into the water they were identifying with Jesus Christ, and acknowledging him before others. Even today, we acknowledge Jesus publicly when we choose to be baptized.
Another way to acknowledge Christ is by going to church. A man in his nineties went to church every week, even though his voice was too weak to sing, his ears were too weak to hear, and his eyes were too weak to read the Bible. Every Sunday he got up early, got dressed up, and walked several blocks to church. His daughter said, Dad, you can’t sing anymore, you can’t hear anymore, and you can’t read anymore. Why do you go to church? The old man replied, I want everyone to know whose side I’m on.
*****
Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Imagine a man in Jesus’ day who made his living plowing fields. The days were long and hot, the work was dirty, and the pay was barely enough. Worst of all, there were so many rocks that it was hard to complete a row without hitting one or two of them.
Once again, the man’s plow jerked to a stop and he wanted to cuss. He stooped to remove the stone but, to his surprise, it wasn’t a stone, but a box. With interest, he dug around the box and carefully opened the lid. There, inside, were diamonds, rubies and pearls worth more than he could spend.
Cautiously, he looked around to see if there were any witnesses and, thankfully, there weren’t. So he covered the box, marked the spot, and went back to plowing the field. But now his heart was racing as he considered what to do.
If he stole the treasure, he’d surely be caught, and lose everything. But if he could buy the field, the treasure would be legally his, and his life would never be the same. With barely concealed joy, he sold his home, his ox, his plow—everything he had—and bought the field. That’s what the kingdom of God is like. It will cost you everything, but make you unspeakably rich (source unknown).
Reflection and Review
Is there any hope for those who fall away from Christ?
How can we acknowledge Christ before others?
How is God’s kingdom like a treasure hidden in a field?
An American tourist in Turkey asked his Muslim guide if he’d like to believe in Jesus Christ. The tour guide seemed on the verge of faith but then he explained, You do not know what you are asking. . . . [M]y wife would leave me. My family would disown me. My boss would fire me. . . . the government would not give me an exit visa. . . . I would starve to death in my own culture.
This is why many who begin to follow Christ later fall away. It’s perfectly understandable, but a terrible mistake since the Bible doesn’t promise anything good to those who turn away. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God (Hebrews 10:26-27), says Hebrews.
And, If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them (1 Peter 2:20-21), wrote Peter.
God will forgive murder, adultery, incest and anything else for those who follow Christ. But those who turn away from him add to all their other sins the worst sin of all—rejecting the Savior of the world. There is no prize for beginning the Christian life, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Given the trouble the apostles would face, it was important for them to know that God was in control. This isn’t hard to believe when the bills are paid, the family is getting along, and everyone is healthy. But when you’re sitting in a cold dark cell, with starving rats gnawing at your feet, it can be hard to believe that God is in control.
This is why Jesus assured us that God has numbered the hairs on our head, and that even a sparrow can’t fall to the ground apart from his loving care. This is not a promise that nothing bad will ever happen, but that nothing bad will ever happen apart from our Father’s will, for his glory, and for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).
It’s helpful to understand that God governs the little things, just as much as the big things, since both are interrelated. This has been illustrated by a nail that fell out of a horse’s shoe. For lack of a nail, the shoe was lost. For lack of a shoe, the horse was lost. For lack of a horse, the rider was lost. For lack of a rider, the battle was lost. For lack of a battle, the war was lost—all for lack of a nail.
If God isn’t in control of everything, he’s not in control of anything, because everything depends on everything else. In all their hardships, the apostles could be sure they’d never lose a hair, apart from their Father’s good and perfect will.
Matthew 10:32-33 Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
Due to the gospel’s radical nature, and to opposition, it wasn’t always easy for the apostles to acknowledge Jesus publicly. Sometimes they were bold, but sometimes they were afraid, not knowing how things would turn out. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling (1 Corinthians 2:3), wrote Paul. In spite of their fear, however, they spent the rest of their lives acknowledging Jesus Christ, and calling on others to do the same. It often began with baptism.
In the early days of his ministry, Jesus preached while his disciples baptized (John 4:1-2). As long people stayed out of the water, they were merely being entertained. But whenever a person stepped into the water they were identifying with Jesus Christ, and acknowledging him before others. Even today, we acknowledge Jesus publicly when we choose to be baptized.
Another way to acknowledge Christ is by going to church. A man in his nineties went to church every week, even though his voice was too weak to sing, his ears were too weak to hear, and his eyes were too weak to read the Bible. Every Sunday he got up early, got dressed up, and walked several blocks to church. His daughter said, Dad, you can’t sing anymore, you can’t hear anymore, and you can’t read anymore. Why do you go to church? The old man replied, I want everyone to know whose side I’m on.
*****
Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Imagine a man in Jesus’ day who made his living plowing fields. The days were long and hot, the work was dirty, and the pay was barely enough. Worst of all, there were so many rocks that it was hard to complete a row without hitting one or two of them.
Once again, the man’s plow jerked to a stop and he wanted to cuss. He stooped to remove the stone but, to his surprise, it wasn’t a stone, but a box. With interest, he dug around the box and carefully opened the lid. There, inside, were diamonds, rubies and pearls worth more than he could spend.
Cautiously, he looked around to see if there were any witnesses and, thankfully, there weren’t. So he covered the box, marked the spot, and went back to plowing the field. But now his heart was racing as he considered what to do.
If he stole the treasure, he’d surely be caught, and lose everything. But if he could buy the field, the treasure would be legally his, and his life would never be the same. With barely concealed joy, he sold his home, his ox, his plow—everything he had—and bought the field. That’s what the kingdom of God is like. It will cost you everything, but make you unspeakably rich (source unknown).
Reflection and Review
Is there any hope for those who fall away from Christ?
How can we acknowledge Christ before others?
How is God’s kingdom like a treasure hidden in a field?